Children and teens are behind a spike in vehicle thefts, ram raids and some burglaries in the district, a local police boss says. Photo / Getty Images
Children and teens are behind a spike in vehicle thefts, ram raids and some burglaries in the district, a local police boss says. Photo / Getty Images
Children and teens, some as young as 11, are behind a spike in vehicle thefts, ram raids and some burglaries in the district, a police boss says.
Rotorua police's area commander Inspector Phil Taikato said he feared these crimes would only "end in tragedy".
According to police data, there havebeen 7691 car thefts in the Bay of Plenty in the past two years, including 160 reported stolen vehicles in the Rotorua area in March alone.
Taikato said Rotorua had recently been experiencing an average of around 100 car thefts in a 30 day period.
The main targets were older cars without alarm systems such as Mazda Demio, Nissan Tiida, Toyota Aqua, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Prado, Mazda Atenza and Subaru Legacy.
"It is vital that owners of older style cars without alarm systems take extra precautions that disable their vehicles when attempts are made or are deterrents. It also enables the quick location of vehicles when they are stolen, " he said.
"From what we are seeing at the moment perpetrators of our stolen vehicles, ram raids and to some extent burglaries are predominantly children and teens."
Taikato said, since January 1, 86 youth offender files had been established in his district. They covered 153 vehicle offences, including vehicle thefts.
The youngest of those 86 offenders was 11 years old and in some cases, multiple offences were committed by a single young person, he said.
"I can also say a large cohort of offending youth keeps coming to police attention as perpetrators of these crimes."
Rotorua police area commander Inspector Phil Taikato. Photo / NZME
He said a young person stealing a vehicle could be seriously injured or, even worse, die in a crash after failing to stop for the police.
"This is definitely a major concern for all police staff as it should be for the parents and whānau of these youth.
"We're also asking parents to be parents, and if they are struggling with their teenagers seek help. Leaving these young kids to roam free with no boundaries is going to end in tragedy.
"A well-known Whakataukī Māori proverbs sums this up: 'Maa te paa te tamaiti e whakatipu' - It takes a village to raise a child."
Taikato said it was vital the community shared these concerns with the police as it helped establish patterns of offending so frontline staff could be assigned appropriately.
"If members of the public witness suspicious behaviour ring 111 immediately in the case of urgency or call 105 if the matter is not urgent as police still need to know about it."
Rotorua Jewellers was a victim of an alleged break-in late last month and Taikato said three youths had been arrested and charged - two from Rotorua and one from Tauranga. Taikato said two vehicles were allegedly stolen ahead of the burglary.
"Only through the good collective response from Tauranga and Rotorua police staff working in the early hours of that morning could we catch the offenders without serious harm."
Whakatane Jewelz store was also targeted in the early hours of March 30 and mainly watches of high value were stolen, store owner Angelia Le Sueur said.
Le Sueur said fortunately police caught the three alleged burglars who fled the police in a stolen vehicle, which included a 17-year-old youth.
She echoed the police and Neighbourhood Support crime prevention messages.
"As a community, we all need to band together to do anything we can to help the police to catch offenders and deter others from also getting involved in these types of crimes."
Rotorua Neighbourhood Support coordinator Richard Perkins. Photo / NZME
Rotorua Neighbourhood Support co-ordinator Richard Perkins this type of crime could be deterred by residents taking some simple preventative measures such as better securing their homes, their vehicles and other valuable items.
"A steering wheel lock is a must as it will slow down the offender and reduce the risk of the car being stolen and broken into. Never leave valuables in view.
"Cutting back trees and bushes around entrances and garages is also a must as they become hiding places for burglars, as is locking doors and cars parked in the driveways."
Perkins said people needed to be "more vigilant" about reporting suspicious activity in their neighbourhood as it happened.
"It's up to all of us to take responsibility for crime prevention and if we see something that doesn't look right or feel right report it."
Kawerau Neighbourhood Support co-ordinator Angie Nicholl agreed.
Nicholl said she has been in her role for nearly three years, and in that time burglaries and theft of cars had reduced.
"We're seeing fewer burglaries which is an excellent result. I think a lot of that has to do with police and the community working more closely together and sharing information."
Nicholl said she regularly posted crime trends and crime prevention advice on the Neighbourhood Support Kawerau's Facebook page.
"It may only be digitally but our Facebook messages are having a real impact in helping deter crime and keeping people more informed about what is happening in the district.
"We also pushed to get bollards installed at all the shops in Kawerau to stop ram raids and local retailers contributed to the investment which is also paying dividends.
"Crime prevention needs to be a whole community response and people should be more proactive about wanting to help the police solve and deter crime."
Crime prevention tips
1. Invest in an anti-theft system to immobilise your car such as a steering wheel lock;
2. Giving the impression you have an alarm system will sometimes deter thieves - stickers on windows or flashing LEDs on the dashboard can be all it takes;
